No more ‘No standing’
Monday, December 1st, 2008As of 1 December 2008 the ‘No standing’ rule, NSW road rule no. 167.1, will be abolished.
From this date on, all ‘No standing’ areas will become ‘No stopping’ areas. Even in instances where the sign has not yet been changed, the rules for ‘No stopping’ apply and a $189 fine will be incurred for any violation. If, however, you stop in a ‘No Stopping’ zone that is in an operating school zone the fine is $243 and 2 demerit points.
This brings NSW into line with the Australian Road Rules, which does not list a corresponding rule.
The ‘No standing’ rule allowed drivers to stop on a length of road where there was a ‘No standing’ sign for the purpose of dropping off or picking up passengers.
One of the reasons for this rule ceasing to be is the ambiguity of the word ‘standing’. Despite being explained in the NSW Road Rules, the term a ‘No standing’ is not self-explanatory and not clearly different to ‘No stopping’. And how long does it take to pick up or drop off the kids?
With ‘No standing’ areas turning into ‘No stopping’ areas, it is important to keep the following in mind:
• ’No parking’ and ‘Loading zone’ rules remain unchanged.
• No stopping: you may not stop your vehicle for any reason.
• No parking:
o you may not stop for longer than 2 minutes and
o you canonly to drop off or pick up passengers or goods (i.e. you must remain within 3 metres of your vehicle).
Does abolishing the ‘No standing sign’ rule make life on the road easier? Or do drivers simply need to be better educated about the road rules?
